Universal Design

1. Universal Design By Wendy S. Harbour, Ed.D. National Center for College Students with Disabilities at the Association on Higher Education And Disability (AHEAD) For the 2016 AHEAD Conference – Indianapolis, Indiana

2. Introductions and Overview • Wendy Harbour – wendy@ahead.org • Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) • Not just for professors, and not just for disability • Acknowledgement of CAST and Dr. David Rose

3. Foundations of UD: Disability Theory Traditional Medicalized Views of Disability • The problem is the person with a disability • Disabilities need to be fixed • Professionals are the best hope for a cure or reducing barriers • Overcoming and normality are main goals

4. Foundations of UD: Disability Theory Socio-Political Views of Disability • Disability may be neutral or positive • Barriers are socially constructed and primarily exist in the environment • Disability is part of the human experience • Anyone can create change • Goal is to change environment to reduce barriers

5. Foundations of UD: Eliminating Ableism “Ableism is…the devaluation of disability result[ing] in societal attitudes that uncritically assert that it is better . . . .to walk than roll, speak than sign, read print than read Braille, spell independently than use a spell-check, and hang out with [the] nondisabled... In short, in the eyes of many educators and society, it is preferable for disabled students to do things in the same manner as [the] nondisabled...” –Hehir (2002)

6. Foundations of UD: Architecture Designing from the beginning for the maximum diversity of users

7. Universal Design in Education Designing curricula from the beginning for the maximum diversity of learners,including students with disabilities

8. UDI at udi.uconn.edu and DO-IT

9. Universal Design for LearningEmotional Responses http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihjZ90-5TJU

10. Give students choices or options • Respect their opinions • Keep things challenging, but not too difficult (Zone of Proximal Development - Vygotsky) • Rewards for doing well • Time for reflection • Ways to monitor their own work and progress UDL Principle 1: Multiple, flexible ways to be motivated and engaged

11. We are all individual learnersExample:What do you see on the next slide?

13. UD: Individuals access information differently

14. Provide different ways to demonstrate learning • Explicit strategies for using or understanding information • Modeling, time to practice with supports, and/or scaffolding of learning • Ongoing, relevant feedback • Context or background information • Share rubrics for grading UDL Principle 2: Multiple, flexible ways to learn and demonstrate learning

15. UD: Information can be represented in multiple ways From Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age

16. Multiple examples, including graphics or engaging stories • Accessible information for people with disabilities (e.g., large print, interpreters) • Highlight critical information or features • Multiple formats: computers or software, graphic organizers, manipulatives, PowerPoints, speaking, etc. • Teach students to “re-interpret” and present information in their own way UDL Principle 3: Multiple, flexible representation of information

17. Related Research

18. Accommodations and Students with Disabilities Traditional method for including students: • Accommodations for students with disabilities (extra time, interpreters, notetakers) • Tutoring or support for individual students Universal design method for including students: • Accommodations or supports for everyone when possible (e.g., notes) • Design curriculum with flexibility and choices • Utilize technology • Know what is essential in your curriculum • Individual disability accommodations may still be necessary

19. Example: What’s “Essential”? Question: Is it appropriate for a student with dyslexiato give an oral report instead of writing a final paper for class? NO Purpose of paper is to: • Show writing skills and use of APA style • Create a convincing written argument • Papers can be written in teams of 2-3 AND/OR • Students already had opportunities to orally demonstrate what they know • With additional supports or feedback on draft, student would be fine YES Purpose of paper is to: • Demonstrate knowledge of key themes in course • Create an argument based on peer-reviewed articles • Oral reports are fine for all students

20. Steps in UD – Faculty or Students • Reflect on what you’re already doing. • Know the strengths and weaknesses of current activities, instructional methods, and materials (including readings) • Who would do well in the current course? Who would struggle? • Consider your own strengths and preferences for teaching and learning • Think about the diversity of students in the course • Consider ways to apply UD • What choices are available? How can there be more flexibility? • What is essential about an assignment, and what can be changed? • If students are naturally do well, how can they utilize their strengths? • If students are struggling, what supports are needed? How can they have opportunities to learn and show what they know? • Are there any disability accommodations everyone could use? • Evaluate any changes • How did new ideas work? • How did other students or instructional staff respond?

21. Consider ways to infuse disability into the curriculum • Avoid disability as just “Disability Awareness Days” or disability accommodations issue; disability becomes part of diversity • Examples: • “Right to Die” in philosophy class • Coding of “norms” in statistics • Disability and the Holocaust in history • Mapping epidemics or pandemics in math, science, geography, or public health courses • Inclusion of authors with disabilities in English/literature courses; finding disability subtext or including disability in discussions of “difference” Moving beyond UD

22. Q and A Wendy Harbour wendy@ahead.org National Center for College Students with Disabilities (NCCSD) NCCSD@ahead.org NCCSDOnline.org NCCSDClearinghouse.org – including more UD resources!

23. Picture of faculty member with disability from http://www.iccd.cornell.edu/iccd/news/images/accessibility-photo-voice-activated-tester.JPG Experiments and information regarding The Unexpected Visitor painting are from Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age available at cast.org. The image of The Unexpected Visitor painting is from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ilya_Repin_Unexpected_visitors.jpg Acknowledgements